BSmaster

Rochester had the same problem in Irondequoit a few decades ago. Remember how that went? Sharp shooters and less landfill space. They tested the bone marrow to find the deer were sick and malnurished. I think all the potential meat went in the ground. Farm raised venison costs quite a bit. It seems like a waste to let it rot on the side of the road or thrown into a landfill. True. Drive slow on 13 especially on a fall night..

Good read Bigfoot. [INSENSITIVE RANT!] I hadn't heard this before. Too many libs in Tompkins county. Doesn't surprise me now that I think about it. I read a story a few years back that a liberal town on the Hudson ( I think it was Saugherties) had a significant deer management issue. Rather than shoot them they opted to trap them, sterilize them and release them at a significant cost to the taxpayer. I fish the the Cayuga tribs and I always see a lot of deer sign but just assume that it is normal for the fringes of a small city. Anyone who drives 13 at night in the fall knows to go slow. Their attitudes will change up there once pot is legal and the deer start eating their pipe dope out the garden. You can call it profiling but you see berks with wool socks and bicycle trains as you enter Ithaca. I would be scared to be up their alone with intentions of hunting and have the PC police after me for killing one of the cuter animals in the kingdom. Good luck to those of you who endure. [RANT OVER] The map said no firearms in Cayuga Heights, Ithaca (City), or Lansing. Lansing is pretty rural. Makes me wonder... why?

Just got back from Wilson's. Busy...

Talk to Don at the tackleshack in Wellsboro. He is a LOU sponsor tackleshack He has the experience and the general knowledge from PFBC/Army Corp etc. The 3 major army corp lakes tend to be slow to lock up but there is Hills Creek which is pretty quick, Beechwood, Hamilton which should have good ice fishing. Buy a trout stamp because a few get stockings all winter. I buy a PA license every year and only fish Tioga county Pa. It is good all around fishing. Don has a forum similar to this as well where he posts ice conditions. He also has everything in the shop should you need something. BTW, For pan fish, I do not think of perch fishing these lakes. I think of crappie fishing.

I didn't do an assessment on the browse line so I have no idea whether or not the deer herd in that area of 8H is in fact out of whack. I got the assessment off the NYSDEC page and made an observation which I have been making for decades and wondered why that many deer seem to get hit on 390 in that section of highway while other sections with a healthy deer population do not seem to get as many hit with maybe Dansville-Groveland a 2nd place noteworthy. It is generally a farming area but that shouldn't make any difference. If the overall attitude is such that only antlered deer be taken then that would make more sense to me. After all, I am not seeing large healthy bucks on the side of the road. They appear to be does. As far as hunting pressure is concerned. Pockets of high pressure can affect the movement of deer throughout larger areas of lower pressure. Most of this is due to scent deer use to communicate with. Any more speculation from me on this matter will be total BS instead of partial BS. Until I do a walk thru the properties or drive along the side roads (at the very least) I can not comment on herd health. I think both men commenting above are accurate but only for a small fraction of the total area. I get in passionate discussions with knowledgeable hunters all the time and I believe them even though I don't believe it pertains to my situation. I honestly didn't mean to stir the pot. Make friends with each other and some landowners. Get some hunting priveledges.

is anyone else curious as to what the DEC means by "new tools"?

From DEC 2014 deer harvest forecast. WMU 8H Area = 574 mile2 BTO = 2.8 bucks harvested per mile2 2013 Buck Take = 4.9 bucks harvested per mile2 2013 Total Deer Take = 14.1 deer harvested per mile2 WMU 8H includes parts of Livingston, Monroe, and Ontario Counties and has limited public land accessible for hunting. This is another typical Lake Plains unit; in other words, an ideal mix of habitat with big healthy deer and a productive population that has resisted our efforts at herd reduction. The buck harvest in 8H rose to a new high last year of 4.9 per square mile, and has now risen four straight years. The current population (as indexed by the buck harvest) is almost twice the target level of 2.8 bucks per square mile. We can add this to the list of our northern units in need of alternative antlerless harvest strategies. As in most of the area north of the Finger Lakes, 8H has super deer habitat, with lots of agriculture, and deer reproduction is excellent. A record number of DMPs will be available, but for two years now we’ve have more permits available than hunters who want them. So we’ve lost some control over this population and will need new tools to increase antlerless harvest. Hunting will be excellent in 8H this fall, with chances of selection high on first and second permits for all categories of applicants.

I say go cheap and buy shoe goo. When they wear out beyond repair cut the stocking feet off them and use them as rain gear bibs.

Always entertained Ray. I Never saw bear sign this season. I figured with all the corn left standing we would see one hanging around.

Hope you feel better Kevin. I am one who also enjoys your posts. Joe

Had to take my kid to Rochester (390) yesterday and just like always, counted about 1-2 dozen deer between the Avon and Rush exit. Problem with it is like always they are on taking a dirt nap on the side of the road. Other than this stretch, I think I only saw a couple for the rest of trip from Corning. Does anyone know why this area seems to be a deer gauntlet?

For those of you returning to Bath packing, I heard they are closed. My brother has been going somewhere in Dundee area. I have been going to Wilson's for the past few years. I think Bath packing's flavor was better but Wilsons customer service made up for it. Never been anywhere else.

www.sausagemaker.com There is one in Buffalo and one in Horseheads. If you have the time and like to have it (meat) be your own I recommend this place. It is all high quality stuff. All size operations as well. Replaced some of my butchering tools. Every time I cut myself I am reminded how well the knives hold their edge. They have everything (as far as I know).

9p I don't hunt it but I know someone who does and it has been hot lately...

I went out twice this year in the bay of Maine and can tell you nothing about the fishery based on my experience but there were a lot of seasoned guys on the boat and they say it is pretty rough. A lot of fish were caught but were shorts. I went porgy fishing last time because the capt I was going with closed up shop. He made a comment the last time I went because the boat was so empty that the mates made more money than he did. Other things I learned is that changes to the striped bass fishery are next. "It is what it is and if it wasn't it would be something else"